Promotes the therapeutic use of art throughout the Washington, DC metropolitan area

Promotes professional development through lectures, workshops, and conferences

Promotes public awareness of art therapy through instructional presentations to community agencies

Fosters networking and the development of support groups for Art Therapists through regional meetings

Publishes a quarterly newsletter

AATA Chapters are active throughout the United States. Chapters conduct meetings and activities that promote the field of art therapy on a local level. Chapters provide a forum for addressing professional issues as well as a network for members working toward common goals.

The AATA's Assembly of Chapters provides information and support to chapter members at the local level. ﻿

Please note: You must be an AATA member to become a chapter member.

Strategic Plan for PATAJanuary 2014

Mission Statement: The Potomac Art Therapy Association (PATA) was created in 1975 to increase contact and communication among art therapists in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area. Since its inception, PATA has grown to include a variety of mental health professionals and has expanded services to its membership and the community. Its purposes are:

To provide a resource for information about art therapy, as well as a referral service to the general public.

To provide a forum for ongoing exchange of information among local art therapists.

To promote professional growth by offering a quarterly newsletter, seminars, and workshops.

To support graduate education in art therapy with a scholarship fund.

To represent the interests of area art therapists in legislative affairs at the local, state, and national levels.

To maintain membership referrals.

In keeping with our mission statement the following goals were developed in order to continue PATA’s dedication to our stated vision of the organization:

Goal 1: Continue to increase the number of subscribing and renewing PATA members.

This will be achieved byencouraging the involvement of the chapter members as well as local art therapy/mental health community members, making yearly membership phone calls, emailing surveys, improving our website, keeping the blog current, encouraging members to attend and lead workshops, maintaining relationships with other local art therapy chapters and educational institutions. Creating committees to work towards long term goals, such as the possible pursuit of art therapy licensure for DC.

This will be achieved byreaching out to members interested in running workshops, asking members about topics for workshops and the symposium, continuing to hold NBCC status in order to provide CEC's for all professional art therapy workshops, run workshops as frequently as possible, supporting art therapy research in the DC metro area, provide articles on the PATA website regarding effectiveness of art therapy.

Goal 3: Continue to foster a space for art therapists to access and share information, promote the field of art therapy and get involved in local art therapy events.

This will be achieved bycompleting PATA website improvements, creating and publishing a list of art therapists in the area, mentoring for GW grads, scholarship awards, group supervision, spotlights for art therapists in bi-annual online newsletter/blog.